


Eighteen

by aceschwarz222



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Bucky Barnes's Metal Arm, Cat Calling, Protective Bucky Barnes, Starting Over, Trains, rude men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 13:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11381115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aceschwarz222/pseuds/aceschwarz222
Summary: Bucky knows he needs to get over his fear of trains, yet he has been unable to step foot inside a metro car. When a teenage girl needs his help at a metro station, will he be able to get over his fear in order to save her in time?





	Eighteen

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: cat calling, mentions of rape, cursing

Seventeen.

Bucky sighed as he watched yet another metro car roll past him. He had no idea how long he had been standing on the platform, but it was long enough for him to wave seventeen metros away. 

Bucky hadn’t been on a train since The Incident more than seventy years ago. Trains had certainly changed since then. Now they were underground, on the ground, and even above ground. The traffic in New York City was absolutely horrific on a good day, so he knew the easiest way to travel was by metro. 

But he was afraid. 

Sure, it would be next to impossible for him to fall out of a subway car to his death, but the underground tunnels made him claustrophobic. He had been coming to this metro station for almost two weeks and had yet to step foot inside an actual car. His flimsy metrocard sat in his pocket, the balance slowly decreasing despite the fact that Bucky didn’t actually go anywhere. He was about to admit defeat when a frantic shuffling caused him to turn around. 

A teenage girl came bustling down the stairs, her chest heaving. She wore a black beanie on her head and had a messenger bag slung around her shoulder. Bucky could see her legs shaking through her ripped jeans, and her eyes darted wildly around the platform until they made contact with Bucky’s. He had no doubt this girl was terrified of something.

She cautiously walked over to Bucky and stared tensely at the arrival time of the next metro. Three minutes. She glanced between the stairs and the sign over and over again. Her eyes widened as she looked back at the staircase. Bucky turned around and finally saw why she was so afraid.

Three men stalked their way down the stairs and onto the platform. They were all dressed in expensive suits, and their hair was gelled in all the right places. Their wolfish grins showed off rows of pearly white teeth. In some situations, they would have seemed charming. But tonight, they were menacing.

The man in the blue suit caught sight of the girl and let out a low whistle. “Well, hey there, pretty lady!” he called. “Why the rush? We just wanted to have a bit of fun!” His friends whistled and jeered in agreement. 

Bucky had known a lot of assholes in his life, and the ones he hated most dressed well and acted as if they owned everything and everyone. 

The girl tightened her grip on her messenger bag to the point where her knuckles turned white. She kept a neutral expression as she tried to ignore them, but Bucky could hear her heartbeat pounding in her chest. 

“Aww, she’s just playing hard to get,” the man with the pinstripe suit laughed. “Don’t worry, we’re nice!” His lecherous gaze travelled up and down her body. “You look fine as hell tonight, baby.”

Still, she ignored them.

“Hey, my friend just paid you a compliment!” the man in the black suit yelled. “Aren’t you going to say thanks?”

Bucky clenched his jaw, then his fists. Just as he was about to intervene, he heard the shrill squeaking of the metro coming down the tracks. Bucky leaned over and saw the bright lights approaching. 

“Is this our train?” Bucky heard Blue Suit ask. 

Pinstripe scoffed. “Doesn’t matter. We’re getting on her train. Keep her company. Right baby?” He yelled the last line so she could hear. The girl’s front finally cracked as she let out a soft whimper and looked down at the ground. 

The metro halted on the track, and the doors hissed open. The girl briefly met Bucky’s gaze as she stepped onto the metro. As soon as he made eye contact, he knew what he had to do. 

Bucky took a deep breath and stepped onto the metro with her. 

The metro was quiet, and the five of them were the only passengers. Bright lights illuminated the car, and it smelled faintly of antiseptic and bodega food. Bucky had zero fear, zero reservations about being on this metro.

He had a mission to complete. Keep the girl safe. 

She stood in the middle of the train, rooted to her spot. Her fear had finally taken over now that she was inside.

“Stay behind me,” Bucky murmured as he walked next to her. She let out a small gasp and looked up at him. She glanced down the car and saw the three men walking towards her. Bucky turned around and she quickly hid behind his broad back.

The men stopped when they saw Bucky. Sure, they had seen him on the platform, but they had been too busy ogling the girl to really pay attention to him. 

Bucky knew he looked intimidating. His had been letting his beard grow out the last few weeks, and he had been putting some extra hours in at the gym. His already impressive physique had improved, increasing his menacing stature. Bucky hardened his gaze and stared down the three men. 

Blue Suit coughed nervously and looked out the window. Bucky couldn’t help but smile.  _ Well that didn’t take long, _ he thought.  _ I wonder if I can get the other two to break. _

Everything paused as the metro made a stop at the next station. The doors opened, but no one got on. Once it started moving again, Pinstripe and Black Suit continued their approach.

Bucky decided to up his game. He slowly removed the black glove from his left hand and tossed it on the seat. The metal shone under the light as he turned and flexed his fingers. Then, he pulled off the dark green jacket he was wearing to reveal the rest of his arm. He was thankful he had decided to wear a short-sleeved shirt underneath. His metal arm was now on full display, and it stopped Black Suit right in his tracks.

“You think that costume prop’s gonna scare me?” Pinstripe asked. “You should go and mind your own business.” 

Bucky chuckled and gripped the overhead bar with his left arm. With a slight tug, he yanked the entire bar off without even breaking a sweat. He took the bar and slowly bent it until it broke.

“You were saying?” Bucky smirked. Pinstripe turned so pale, Bucky looked down at the floor to make sure there wasn’t any blood. His whole body deflated, and even his hair lost its volume. 

“Uh, um, you…” Pinstripe stuttered. 

The metro jolted to a stop again, and the girl gripped the back of Bucky’s shirt to keep from falling.

“Let’s go man,” Blue Suit said. “No pussy is worth that.” The three men practically ran out of the metro car and up the stairs. 

The door hissed as it closed, and the car began moving again. Bucky slowly turned around to face the girl, who had finally let go of his shirt. 

“You okay?” he asked softly. 

She nodded her head as she stared at the bent pole in Bucky’s hand. He grinned sheepishly and carefully placed it on the floor. He put his jacket and gloves back on and sat down. 

They rode the rest of the time in silence. Bucky could feel her gaze on him every now and then. Her heart had stopped pounding and her breathing had returned to normal, so he was pretty sure she wasn’t scared anymore. At least not of him. 

Finally, she got up when the doors opened at a station. He followed her out and walked a respectable distance behind her. She led him up the stairs and out into the cool night’s air. It was like an unspoken agreement between the two of them: Bucky would walk her home.

She stopped at an apartment building less than a block away from the metro station. She shifted from one foot to the other as she fished out her keys from the messenger bag. 

“Thank you,” she whispered, looking up. She cleared her throat and spoke with more confidence. “Thanks for helping me.” 

“No problem,” Bucky replied. He nodded a few times, unsure what to say next. “You should get some pepper spray,” he finally said. “It’s good to have it.”

The girl nodded. “You’re probably right,” she admitted. “My parents have been saying that for a while, but I never thought I needed it, you know?” She swallowed and rubbed her eyes. “I hate people like that. People that talk like that. Act like that.” A few tears escaped as she sighed. “The worst part was feeling powerless,” she mumbled. “Like they had control over me. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah,” Bucky replied softly. “It does.” He paused. “You’re not powerless,” he said. “I think it was really brave what you did, ignoring them like that.”

“Really?” she asked. 

Bucky nodded. “It’s okay to be scared, but if you prepare and know what to do next time, it doesn’t have to end the same way.” He thought about the metrocard still sitting in his pocket. “It doesn’t have to end the same way,” he repeated, softer this time. 

The girl bit her lip and smiled. “I should go,” she said, pointing to the door. “Are you going to be able to get home okay?”

The metro didn’t seem scary anymore, even if it had taken him eighteen cars tonight to actually get on one. 

Bucky grinned back at her. “Yeah, doll, I’ll be fine.”

And you know what?

He was.


End file.
